Weed-extracting tool



April 9, 1929. w G. DRUMMOND WEED EXTRACTING TOOL Filed March 9, 1927 mmond Patented Apr. 9, 1929.

UNITED STATES WILLIAM G. DRUMMOND, OF ALHAMBRA, CALIFORNIA.

WEED-EXTRACTING TOOL.

Application filed March 9, 1927.

' to be capable ot being easily thrust into the soil. Handles carried by the opposite ends oi? said serve manipulate the. same, while the jaws themselves pre'ierably are so pivot-ed nd so shaped that when forced to- .her i y tend to form a tapered body of earth about the root, whereby the latter is firmly gripped. The invent-ion resides further in such other features of novelty as may be herein presented.

In the accompanying" (lllWlllQ'S wherein one embodiment of the invention illustrated by way of example.

1 is a side elevation of the tool in position for inserting into the ground.

I 2 is a similar view thereof with the 1 jar-.s in gripping position, portions ot said s being broken away.

-z 3 is a view at right angles to those of Figs. .1. and 2, and

4; and 5 are cross sections taken on the lines ll and 5-5 respectively of Figs. 1 and 2.

The weeder comprises two pressed steel jaws substantially indentioal in form, each beingelongated and of channeled or particylindrical shape. Their extremities are tapered or pointed as indicated at 12 to facilitate their being thrustinto the soil and also to permit their being pressed together somewhat to form a tapered core of the bod of soil between them. The upper end of each jaw is bifurcated at 14L and the sides are bent into substantial parallelism to provide two spaced arms 15 as shown, the arms of one jaw lying between those of the other, a pintle 16 being passed through said arms 15 for pivoting the aws thereupon. The arms 15 are set in wooden composition or other Serial No. 173,808.

handles 17 and are secured therein by means of rivets or bolts 18, while a spring 20 whose ends are seated in sockets 22 in the handles, serves to urge the handles and jaws apart and into the position of Fig. l where they are ready for insertion into the soil. ()ne of the jaws 10 is provided with a stop --S to limit their movement away from each other and to maintain them in normally parallel relation. I

In operation, the pointed ends 12 of the jaws are thrust into the ground thereby torming an approximately cylindrical core of earth enclosing the root of the weed to be removed. The handles 17 are then pressed t gether with the result that the jaws 10 are reed tog ther at their outer ends as indicated in i 2, thus compressing the earth core and forming it into a. cross sectional shape son'iewhat as indicated at in Fig. 5. This step serves to insure a firm grip upon the earth core and upon the root of the weed enclosed. Thus gripped, the whole may be twisted about a vertical axis, and the tear- Eng away of all laterally directed rootlets not severed by the jaws is insured. An upward pull then serves to break the tap root, thus entirely loosening;- the weed. The earth core and the weed may then be re moved with the tool, or the tool may be released and withdrawn freely so as to leave the earth core in the grounrh whereupon the loosened weed may be readily remov d by the operators fingers. K

\Vhat I claim is:

A weed extracting tool comprising a handle split longitudinally to form handle members. a pair of metal jaws of channel form having pointed lower ends secured to the lower ends of said handle members with their channels oppositely disposed, said. jaws crossing each other at their upper ends and pivotally secured together, and a coiled spring disposed between the handle members at their upper ends, whereby to normally force the jaws towards each other and insure a grip upon the earth core when the tool is operated.

In witness that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto subscribed my name this 1st day or" February, 1927.

WILLIAM G. DRUMMON D.

(ill 

